The Black Bolt
by Amy Ashuntae
Summary: What happens when an old friend of Artemis' joins the team? Who is she? Why is she there? Who is this Sonar guy? Why are the Shadows so interested in them? This is my first fanfic, so plz review! Name changes to Ashlee's mom and brother
1. Chapter 1

The Black Bolt

By Amy Ashuntae

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well, aside from myself, my thoughts, the plot, Sonar, and Black Lightning.

"Recognized. Robin, B-01, Kid Flash, B-03, Artemis, B-06."(Sorry if I got the numbers wrong) the computerized voice echoed through the cave. M'gann looked up from her cookbook, smiling as her friends and teammates entered the cave. "Come on! You've got to admit, that shot I took that saved your sorry butt against the Reds was awesome!"(Couldn't think of anything else) Artemis said as she entered the kitchen. "Ok, ok, it was pretty awesome!" Wally admitted, zipping over to the fridge and grabbing a soda. Artemis smirked victoriously. "Team, report to the training room." Batman said over the intercom. "We JUST got here." Artemis muttered. Robin shrugged. " You get used to it." he said nonchalantly as he headed towards the training room, Artemis, Wally, and M'gann followed a few seconds later. When they got there, they saw that the rest of the team had gotten there before them. Black Canary was on the training floor, sparring with an unfamiliar girl, about Artemis's age. She was definitely holding her own against the blonde. Canary managed to get a lucky shot in, sweeping the strange girl off her feet. She quickly sprang back up, but not before Robin saw and regarded her curiously. Wally shook his head. " After you're through here, babe, I'll show you my moves." he said, trying the line he'd used on Canary again. The girl ran towards Canary, who threaded her fingers together, palms facing upward in the familiar motion associated with maneuver 7, as Aqualad called it, and the girl placed her foot in Canary's waiting hands. Canary threw her into the air and she twisted and turned, trying to get a good angle for what she was about to do.

She promptly kicked Wally in the face before going back to sparring with Canary.

"Dude!" Wally cried, holding his now bleeding nose between his thumb and index fingers. "Not cool!" he added as Robin burst out in fits of laughter. Artemis just shook her head at him(Come on Wally, you had it coming!) and looked at the unfamiliar girl. She felt like she knew her from somewhere. The way she moved, almost as if she kept unconsciously leaving gaps in her fighting style for someone else, it was almost exactly like..."Black?" she whispered, earning her a strange look from Wally as Batman came in. "Team." Batman intoned, looking down at Robin severely, causing him to stop laughing, "Meet your newest member. I'll let her introduce herself." he finished.

The girl on the training floor relaxed her stance at the same time Canary did and turned to the team after giving Canary a small nod. She had dark, curly hair that went to her shoulders, dark sunglasses firmly placed across her eyes as her soft pink lips smirked against her lightly tanned skin. She wore a black t- shirt with a gold lightning bolt on the chest, black shorts with gold lightning bolts embroidered on the pockets, and old combat boots. She slid her sunglasses up onto her head to reveal her soft, gentle brown eyes. She smiled at the team.

"Hi. I'm Black Lightning." she said. Artemis stepped forward. "Hey Black." she said, smiling. The girl who had introduced herself as Black Lightning grinned and hugged her. "Arty!" she cried happily. Artemis grinned. Black Lightning stepped back, still smiling. " Introductions?" she asked, looking at the team. " Of course." Artemis replied. " Black, meet Aqualad, our leader, Kid Flash, our speedster, but you have my permission to call him Kid Mouth," Black Lightning burst out laughing at this while Wally glared at Artemis. "Robin, Batman's protege and our resident troll, Miss. Martian, our resident Martian and telepath, Superboy, the Boy of Steel, Zatanna, our resident magician, and Rocket, our other newbie." Artemis said, gesturing to her respective teammates as she spoke. "Everyone, meet an old friend of mine, Black Lightning." she added.

"Welcome to the team." Aqualad said, stepping forward, holding his hand for her to shake. She did, smiling. "Thanks. I'm happy to be here." Black Lightning replied. " Why don't you give her a tour? I need to check something." Batman said. Miss. Martian flew to Black Lightning, grabbing her arm enthusiastically. "Of course! Come on!" cried the exited martian and she flew off, dragging the unfortunate Black Lightning along, the team following behind them.

/-Sorry guys, couldn't think of anything to fill this gap, so I'm going to try and compensate. If I think of something I'll rewrite and re-upload this or write it separately. Sorry!-/

After the tour, Artemis and Black Lightning were in the kitchen, Artemis with her nose in the fridge, trying to find something to drink, her friend leaning against the counter top. "Why are you here, Black? Really? Don't lie to me, we've known each other since we were kids. What's the real reason you're here?" Artemis asked from the fridge, regarding two sodas, trying to decide if they were safe.

Black Lightning sighed, tilting her head back and squeezing her eyes shut as if she were in pain. "It's him. It's Sonar. He's-he's gone dark. Kidnapped." she said, her voice betraying the pain and guilt she felt. "By who? When?" Artemis asked gently, checking the expiration dates on the sodas, two root beers. "Shadows. Undercover op. He went alone-insisted on it, said I needed to catch up on my school work, he could handle it-and about a week ago, they figured it out. I should've gone with him, we were both supposed to go, not just one of us-" came the reply, Black Lightning putting her head in her hands and racking her fingers through her hair. " Ash. Stop. This isn't your fault. There's no way you could have known. Besides, he didn't really give you much of a choice." Artemis interrupted, deeming the root beers safe. She opened them and gave one to Black Lightning, closing the fridge. Black Lightning accepted it gratefully, taking a sip. "I thought I could get him out on my own, but it's impossible. I need help. I need a team. So I called Batman. So here I am." she finished. "You know that I'm always willing to help you out Ash. C'mon. I know a little birdie who might be able to give us a hand." Artemis said knowingly. "Sorry Arty, I gotta go. Maybe tomorrow. But...thanks." the other girl replied, grabbing her bag. " See you tomorrow Arty!" she called as she walked to the zeta tube. "Bye Ashlee!" Artemis yelled. " Recognized. Black Lightning, B-09." the computerized voice announced as Black Lightning was teleported to Gotham City.

So, what do you guys think? This is my first fanfic, so please review. And PLEASE be honest with me. I'll put up chapter two as soon as it's done and I have enough reviews. Plus I have exams this week. Bye for now!


	2. Chapter 2

The Black Bolt

By Amy Ashuntae

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Black Lightning and Sonar

Black Lightning stepped out of the phone booth in Gotham City with a sigh. She had had a long and trying day even before meeting the team. She looked out at Gotham with a regretful look. Sonar... She shook her head, almost viciously. No. She wouldn't think about that. It just made her feel guilty. She still felt like it was her fault. Gah! Didn't she just say she wasn't going to think about that? She groaned in frustration and reached into her bag, pulling out her iPod. She glanced around, popping an earbud into her ear. She glanced down and went through her songs to find something worth listening to when she spotted one that made her smile. It was Storm Warning by Hunter Hayes. She grinned at the irony. She pressed play and exited the abandoned ally, heading towards her apartment. She lived alone, considering she didn't have much of a choice. Her father wanted to...experiment on her because of the unique circumstances which had given her her powers. Sonar had gotten her hooked on the song and now she listened to it on her way to her apartment. She switched it to Ignorance by Paramore when she got there so she couldn't hear her neighbors who were convinced she was a druggie.

_ She rolled in from the west_

_ In a summer sun dress_

_ Hotter than the heat in July_

_ With her wind blown hair_

_ It just wasn't fair_

_ The way she was blowin' my mind _

_Have you ever noticed _

_Every hurricane gets its name from a girl like this?_

_ She's a cat, five kind Keeps you up at night _

_Hangin' on to the edge of a kiss_

Black Lightning mouthed along as she headed 'home'.

_ She's a beautiful mess _

_The kind you love to love_

_ But what happens next?_

_ I got a feeling when the sun comes up_

_ I'm gonna wish I had a storm warning_

_ I'm gonna wish I had a sign _

_I'm gonna wish I had a little heads up,_

_ Little lee-way, little more time_

_ Some kind of radar system_

_ Locked in on love I got a feeling by the time the night finds the morning _

_I'm gonna wish I had a storm warning _

_I'm gonna wish I had a storm warning _

_Ain't it funny how it feels_

_ When you're burning your wheels_

_ Somewhere between goin' and gone_

_ You get so lost that you can't turn it off_

_ You give in and you just turn it on_

_ She's a heart full of rain_

_ Red lips like a flame_

_ She's the girl from your favorite song_

_ What a beautiful mess_

_ One part angel, one part perfect, one part brick _

_The kind of flood you'll never forget_

_ I'm gonna wish I had a storm warning_

_ I'm gonna wish I had a sign _

_I'm gonna wish I had a little heads up,_

_ Little lee-way, little more time_

_ Some kind of radar system_

_ Locked in on love _

_I got a feeling by the time the night finds the morning_

_ I'm gonna wish I had a storm warning_

_ Ooo, Yeah I'm gonna wish I had a storm warning_

_ I'm gonna wish I had a sign_

_ I'm gonna wish I had a little heads up,_

_ Little lee-way, little more time_

_ Some kind of radar system_

_ Locked in on love!_

_ I'm gonna wish I had a storm warning_

_ I'm gonna wish I had a sign_

_ I'm gonna wish I had a little heads up,_

_ Little lee-way, little more time_

_ Some kind of radar system _

_Locked in on love_

_ I got a feeling by the time the night finds the morning_

_ I'm gonna wish I had a storm warning_

_ I'm gonna wish I had a storm warning _

_I'm gonna wish I had a sign_

_I'm gonna wish I had a sign_

_ Or a storm warning_

Black Lightning appeared at the entrance to her apartment complex just as the song ended. She unlocked the door when she heard a familiar voice call her name. "Ashlee? Ashlee Gilly? Is that you?" Black Lightning flinched at the mention of her real name and turned to see Artemis Crock approaching her. She grinned immediately. "Hey Arty. I didn't realize you lived around here." she lied. Artemis burst out laughing. "Yea right! I haven't moved! But you probably already knew that. Is your family here with you?" Artemis replied, but immediately regretted opening her mouth when she saw the look on her friends face. "Oh, sorry, I just kinda...forgot..." she said. Black Lightning shook her head. "It's ok. You wanna come in?" she asked. "Na, I gotta go. My mom. Why don't you give me your number and I'll text you later?" Artemis replied. "Ok." Black Lightning quickly scribbled her number down on a loose piece of paper and gave it to Artemis. "Talk to you later Arty!" she called, entering her apartment complex and entering the elevator. She quickly switched songs so she was listening to Ignorance by Paramore. The elevator doors opened on the fourth floor and she quickly made a dash for her apartment.

_ I'm a bad person, you don't like me, well guess I'll make my own way _

_It's a circle, a mean cycle _

_I can't excite you anymore._

The last thing she needed was her neighbors seeing her and letting her have it again. She reached her door, 14, and fumbled around for her keys.

_ Where's your gavel? Your jury? What's my offense this time? _

_You're not a judge, but if you're gonna judge me, well sentence me to another life._

"Isn't that the truth." Black Lightning, or Ashlee Gilly, muttered under her breath. She heard someone yelling something or other at her as she managed to unlock her door. She quickly slipped inside, escaping the onslaught of insults.

_ Don't wanna hear your sad songs_  
_I don't wanna feel your pain_  
_When you swear it's all my fault_  
_Cause you know we're not the same (no)_  
_We're not the same (no)_  
_Oh we're not the same_  
_Yeah the friends who stuck together_  
_We wrote our names in blood_  
_But I guess you can't accept that the change is good (hey)_  
_It's good (hey)_  
_It's good_

She sighed. Every time. "It happens every time. No matter what. No matter what I say, no matter what I do, they still think I'm on drugs. It's ridiculous!"

_ Well you treat me just like another stranger_  
_Well it's nice to meet you sir_  
_I guess I'll go_  
_I best be on my way out_  
_You treat me just like another stranger_  
_Well it's nice to meet you sir_  
_I guess I'll go_  
_I best be on my way out_

She walked into her kitchen, depositing her bag on the counter

_Ignorance is your new best friend_  
_Ignorance is your new best friend_

She opened the fridge, looking for something to eat for dinner. Ashlee glanced at her counter and groaned when she realized she had forgotten her mail. Now she had to make a dash for her mailbox, grab it, and dash back to her room, all without a confrontation with her neighbors.

_ This is the best thing that could've happened_  
_Any longer and I wouldn't have made it_  
_It's not a war no, it's not a rapture_  
_I'm just a person but you can't take it_  
_The same tricks that, that once fooled me_  
_They won't get you anywhere_  
_I'm not the same kid from your memory_  
_Well now I can fend for myself_

She breathed a sigh of relief as the elevator doors closed. So far so good. She'd managed to get by without alerting them.

_ Don't wanna hear your sad songs_  
_I don't wanna feel your pain_  
_When you swear it's all my fault_  
_Cause you know we're not the same (no)_  
_We're not the same (no)_  
_Oh we're not the same_  
_Yeah we used to stick together_  
_We wrote our names in blood_  
_But I guess you can't accept that the change is good (hey)_  
_It's good (hey)_  
_It's good_

Ashlee opened her mailbox to find one piece of mail. "One thing...from Gotham Academy?" she muttered in surprise. "The Wayne Foundation Scholarship? Are you?...Oh come on! Really Batman? Really?" She grumbled, reentering the elevator. She felt her phone go off and pulled it out to find that she'd gotten a text. She opened it as the doors did. _Hey Ash. It's Artemis. What's up?_

_Well you treat me just like another stranger_  
_Well it's nice to meet you sir_  
_I guess I'll go_  
_I best be on my way out_  
_You treat me just like another stranger_  
_Well it's nice to meet you sir_  
_I guess I'll go_  
_I best be on my way out_

Ashlee grinned and slipped into her apartment. _Hey Arty. Nothing much, just got my mail. Looks like I got a scholarship to Gotham Academy. What about you?_ Ignorance is your new best friend

_Ignorance is your new best friend_  
_Ignorance is your new best friend_  
_Ignorance is your new best friend_

Artemis blinked in surprise at her phone. _The Wayne Foundation Scholarship?_ _Yea, why?_ Ashlee relpied

_Well you treat me just like another stranger_  
_Well it's nice to meet you sir_  
_I guess I'll go_  
_I best be on my way out_  
_You treat me just like another stranger_  
_Well it's nice to meet you sir_  
_I guess I'll go_  
_I best be on my way out_

_I got the same scholarship._ Ashlee grinned._ Awesome! I'll see you at school tomorrow, I gotta get some sleep. Night Arty! _She replied._ Night Ash. See you tomorrow! _Artemis said

So, what do you guys think? Personally, I think the last chapter was better. It took me a while, sorry. See you next time! Press the blue button! You know you want to!


	3. Chapter 3

The Black Bolt

By Amy Ashuntae

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Black Lightning and Sonar.

The next morning...

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Ashlee rolled over in her bed, slammed the snooze button, and opened an eye. 6:30 glared at her in angry red numbers, causing her to groan. Normally, she'd have been pestered by her father until she got up. But he wasn't here now. He, along with the rest of her family, had found out about her powers and who she was.

She got up and got dressed and brushed her hair. She didn't have a Gotham Academy uniform, so she was wearing her usual civvies; a yellow t-shirt, black jeans, and black jacket, in addition to gray sneakers. She dropped her gray backpack on a chair in the kitchen and started raiding the fridge for some eggs so she could make herself some breakfast. She'd just started cooking them when her phone went off. She checked it to see Artemis had texted her. _Hey. Do you have a uniform? _Ashlee sighed, resisting the urge to face palm. _No, Arty, I don't have a uniform. I was hoping you had a spare one I could use_. She finished cooking her breakfast, sat at the table, and started eating. Her phone buzzed again, indicating that Artemis had replied. _Yea, of course. I'll give it to you at school, ok? _Ashlee grinned, rolling her eyes. She kept forgetting. _Or I can just come over and change._ On the other end of the phone, Artemis stared at the screen dumbly. _Yea, of course. Sorry, I forgot_. Ashlee rolled her eyes. _Again. Lol. I'll see you in a few minutes._

After finishing her breakfast, Ashlee walked over to Artemis' apartment complex and pressed the buzzer. "Who is it?" Artemis asked. "Arty, it's me. Can you let me in?" Ashlee asked. "Yea, just a sec!" came the reply. BUZZZZ

"Artemis, hurry up! I don't want you to be late!" Paula Crock rolled into the living room, much to Artemis' irritation. Her mother kept pestering her to get out the door, but she didn't realize that Artemis was waiting for Ashlee so could lend her her spare uniform. There was a knock on the door. Speak of the devil... Artemis opened the door to reveal Ashlee. "Hey Arty." she said, entering the apartment. "Hey Ash. Here," Artemis said, tossing the uniform to the other hero "you can change in my room." She finished. "Thanks. I'll get my own tonight." Ashlee replied. "That is, if Batman doesn't drop a mission on us." she muttered to Artemis as she headed towards the other girl's room. Paula blinked in surprise. "Oh." she said. "Well, just don't be late." she said firmly as Ashlee appeared in Artemis' uniform. Amazingly enough, she was Artemis' size. It was kinda creepy, but in this case, it was a good thing. She smiled at Paula politely and turned to Artemis. "Well, shall we?" she asked, motioning to the door. Both girls left for Gotham Academy.

...

Sorry for taking so long to update! I'm working on the next chapter now, and I'm hoping to have it done and uploaded by the end of the day. Good? I wanted to add more, but couldn't of anything else to put and decided to end it there. Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Ashlee sat in her fourth period, Health, listening to her new teacher drone. She, of course, wasn't paying attention. After arriving at Gotham Academy with Artemis, she had gone to get her schedule and was relieved to find that most of her classes were with Artemis. Ironically enough, her locker was next to Artemis' too. Now she was sitting in the last period of the day, waiting impatiently for the bell to ring so that she and Artemis could go to Mt. Justice.

She looked down at her notepad and noticed that she'd been sketching her hero outfit. It consisted of a short sleeved, form-fitting black top with a gold lightning bolt on her chest, black gloves that ended a few inches below the sleeves, also with golden lightning bolts, but this time on the back of her hands. A golden sash separated her top and pants, which were black. It also had black combat boots and a black cowl with gold lightning bolt between her eyes. She blinked in surprise at the detail and flipped the page, wondering if she could sketch Sonar's too. She sighed.

Both of their abilities were unique, but his strayed closer to Black Canary's than she cared to admit. He could leave her and become Black Canary's protege if he wanted to. His ability to manipulate and create sound waves, not to mention tune to any frequency at will, seemed a lot like Canary's power. The only reason he was called Sonar was that he'd always liked sonar tech, and he could literally be turned into a living sonar. All he had to do was try it. Now her power, hers was a little different. It was why she had to leave, period. She could create and manipulate lightning, which, for some unknown reason, was black. Apparently she was born with the ability, but it was in its dormant form so she could never actually use it. That is, until her fourteenth birthday. Her father was a scientist and had been working in the lab. He'd said that they'd all go to the movies as a birthday present from him to her and that he'd only be 5 minutes, he just needed to run one more test, and it had been more like 15 or 20, so she wandered into his lab to check on him. Unfortunately, she entered just as the test was started, and ended up getting electrocuted for it. Instead of it killing her, it jump started her power.

She'd only been Black Lightning and teamed up with Sonar for about a year when someone decided to rob her family. Unfortunately, they had come home in the middle of it and the thieves had threatened them, to the point she had to do something. So she called Sonar and electrocuted the thieves. That was when her father had started trying to find a 'cure'. He was convinced she didn't know what she was doing and decided to 'try and help her get out so she wasn't forced to do something she didn't want to'. He just couldn't seem to fathom the thought that she had chosen this. That she wanted this.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Ashlee sighed and got her stuff. She went to her locker and met Artemis. She gathered her things and both headed to the zeta platform. They chatted along the way, but when they arrived, she was thinking about Sonar and the operation he'd been running when he vanished. They'd been investigating a strange string of payments from an unknown benefactor to the League of Shadows. They were obviously being hired for something, and Sonar had gone undercover to find out what. "Hello, Earth to Ashlee! Come in Ashlee! Hello! Hey," Artemis said, lightly slapping her friend's face"anyone home?" she asked, causing her to blink in surprise. "Huh? Wha? Oh, sorry Artemis. I was just thinking about the op Sonar was running when he vanished." Ashlee said apologetically. "It's ok. You still need to tell me about that." Artemis pointed out, entering the abandoned telephone booth. "Recognized, Artemis, B-06." the robotic voice announced. "Yes. Yes I do." Ashlee murmured, entering the booth a moment later. "Recognized, Black Lightning, B-09."

The silhouette of a teenager appeared as soon as the golden glow of the zeta tube died. "You better be ready, Black. And you better let them know what's going on. Before their ignorance gets them killed." he muttered, walking past the zeta platform. He dropped a piece of paper where he knew only she would find it, and vanished into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

"Recognized, Black Lightning, B-09." Artemis turned to her friend as she appeared, both girls dressed in their Gotham Academy uniforms. She gave her friend a look. Ashlee sighed. "Alright, I'll tell you. But when the rest of the team is here. Deal?" she stated, knowing her friend wouldn't leave her alone until she told her what they had been investigating. Artemis nodded. "Deal." she said. Ashlee opened her mouth to say something when she was cut off.

"Team, report to the mission room." Batman said over the intercom. Ashlee sighed. "Well, I, for one, am not going to show up in this." she said gesturing to her school uniform. Artemis had insisted she keep it. "I'll meet you there, ok?" she asked. "Ok, just don't take too long, alright?" Artemis replied, causing her friend to nod and leave, heading towards her room in Mt. Justice.

Artemis entered the mission room to find most of the team, minus Ashlee, already there. Everyone, including herself, was dressed in their costume. They were waiting on Ashlee. She walked in at that precise moment, messing with her cowl and top. Batman brought up a screen with the picture of a man. A man Artemis knew. 'Oh man, Ash is going to be pissed.' she thought, glancing over at her friend.

Ashlee looked up from messing with her top to find a picture of her father looking right back at her. 'Oh you've GOT to be kidding me.' was the first thing she thought. "This is Dr. Tyson Gilly. He's a scientist and he specializes in-" Batman started to say, but was cut off. "He specializes in Tesla Coil research. The man spends more time with his research than he does with his own family. His calculations get more quality time than his own children do." Black Lightning interrupted abruptly. "Why is he important?" she questioned irritably. Batman gave her the Batglare before speaking. "The same reason your partner is important." he stated. "What?" she gasped, shocked. What did Sonar have to do with this, whatever it was? "One of Dr. Gilly's experiments was recently stolen. I believe it is related to your partner's disappearance." Batman said. Ashlee nodded, considering. "It makes sense. Depending on how important and which experiment it was, it'd make sense for him to drop off the grid for no reason." she suddenly snapped. "And I bet I know who took it." she announced, grinning triumphantly.


	6. Chapter 6

"The League of Shadows. That's who Sonar was kidnapped by. So it'd make sense that they stole the experiment. Right?" Black Lightning said, looking at Batman. "Yes. Your mission will be to locate the experiment and return it Dr. Gilly and see if you can locate any information on the whereabouts of Black Lightning's partner, Sonar. You begin this mission tomorrow." Batman said. They all nodded and started to disperse.

"Hold on!" Black Lightning's voice rang out, stopping them all. "If I don't tell you this now, I won't later." she said. "So listen up. I have a personal connection to this mission." she turned to the screen and pressed a few buttons, bringing up two more images. One was of a woman, the other a boy, who had to be no more than two years older than Black Lightning. "Dr. Gilly is my father. My mother is Lara Gilly" she said, motioning to the picture of the woman. "And that is my brother, Peter Gilly. My name is Ashlee Gilly." she said. She pressed a few more buttons and brought up the two images of a boy, her age. One was of him in a sea blue hero getup, cowl on his face, his eyes covered, the other was of him in civilian clothes. He had dark hair, blue eyes that stood out gently against his tanned skin, and was wearing a light blue t-shirt.

"This is my partner, of sorts. Sonar, otherwise known as Jason Jackson. He can create and manipulate sound waves and tune into any sound frequency. He was working a case when he went dark. We-he- was investigating payments being made by a mysterious benefactor to the League of Shadows. They were obviously being hired for something, and he went in to find out what. I don't know much, but what I do know is that he was getting in too deep and he thought that his cover had been blown. He also thought that he'd found out what they had been hired to do when he went dark. That's all I know." she said. Aqualad nodded "Thank you for giving us this information." he said.

Later on, Ashlee and Artemis were dressed in their civvies. She sat on the couch with Artemis, watching some tv. Ashlee glanced at the time. "Yikes, it's getting late. We should be heading home, Arty." she said. Her friend nodded in agreement and both girls grabbed their bags and left. Ashlee stepped out of the zeta platform and sighed. She glanced down and blinked in surprise. A small piece of paper was sitting out side the abandoned telephone booth. She picked it up and opened it. She quickly read it and stuffed it into her back pocket before moving out of Artemis' way.

BL,

They took the Black Bolt.

-S

Wow. Ok. It's like 4 am right now, and I just wrote three chapters in a row. Wow. Thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far. Although it's only been three people. So to everyone else, please review and tell me what you think. See you next time!

Amy Ashuntae


	7. Chapter 7

I own nothing except Black Lightning and Sonar.

Black Lightning was not happy.

Standing outside of her house while her team was inside talking to her family and checking out her father's lab was not her idea of an ideal weekend. She sighed. She'd volunteered for lookout duty while they were talking to her father about this mysterious experiment that had been stolen. By now they knew it was the Black Bolt. She could almost guarantee that he didn't tell them everything about the experiment, considering his pride and the fact that she had to go have it jump start her powers to find out about it herself. The door opened and she looked up to find Artemis there. She looked at her friend with a frown. "Apparently we have to bring Dr. Gilly with us." she said. Black Lightning nodded. "I figured that we would have to." she replied. Artemis nodded. "Aqualad wants you to go ahead to the Bioship." she said. Ashlee nodded and left for their transport.

"Right this way, Doctor." Aqualad said, leading Ashlee's father to the Bioship. "Where are we going?" he demanded. "Here." Artemis said shortly as they arrived at their transportation. Dr. Gilly gaped at it for a moment as the team entered. He followed after them-only to slam into someone when he entered. "Ow! Watch where you're going!" he snapped crossly. "You ok, Black?" Artemis asked worriedly. "Yea, I'm fine. He just needs to watch where he's going." a very familiar voice spat. Robin instantly noticed the obvious hostility coming from Black Lightning. He frowned, wondering what her father had done to deserve it. "Ashlee?" he asked, as his daughter got to her feet, scowling fiercely at him. "Naw, it's your other daughter." she snapped sarcastically, venom leaking from her voice. Then she turned and took her seat alongside Artemis, who put a hand on her shoulder. Black Lightning sighed. "I'm fine, Artemis. I just need some time to cool off." she said. Her father took a seat alongside Superboy. "This is going to be a long flight." Ashlee muttered sarcastically.

Halfway through the flight to Mt. Justice, Black Lightning turned to look at her father. "So, how much did you actually tell them about the Black Bolt?" she asked. He stared at her in surprise. "How did you-" he started. "Know it was the Black Bolt? A little birdie left me a message. How much did you tell them?" she replied crossly. "Enough." he said simply. "So in other words the basics?" she said, turning her attention to the team. "I said that I told them enough!" her father snapped at her. She glared, fists clenching. "Our definitions of enough vary! They need to know everything!" she snapped angrily. "Ok, let's all just calm down. Doctor, what exactly is the Black Bolt?" Kaldur asked. Ashlee snorted. "You'd have better luck getting answers out of a mute." she said, leaning forward.

"As you know, the Black Bolt is one of my father's experiments. But it's also what gave me my powers. It's supposedly a robot of some kind created from Tesla Coil technology. When I came into the picture as Black Lightning, the government came to my father, interested in using the experiment as a sort of fail safe in case I ever decided to go rouge. My father agreed, and decided to start creating the Black Bolt in my image. But he never got it right. All the prototypes failed time and time again. He started becoming frustrated and paranoid, convinced that I was somehow causing the prototypes to fail." she said. "BECAUSE YOU WERE!" her father raged from the other side of the room. Black Lightning glared at her father. "Why? Because I refused to stick around and become one of you little science experiments? Because I refused to be treated like a thing instead of a human being? You kept trying to take me apart! THAT'S WHY I LEFT!" she snapped, yelling the last part with more anger than any of them thought she was capable of. They only knew the side of her that she let them see, so this outburst shocked the entire team beyond belief. Well, all but one of them. Artemis scowled at Tyson Gilly as she placed a calming hand on her friend's shoulder. "Ash. Take a deep breath, calm down. Keep telling us about the Black Bolt. Pretend he isn't here." Artemis said gently. She knew all about the change in Ashlee's father after he discovered his daughter's alter ego. She was right: he had treated her like a science experiment, a thing, an anomaly that needed to fixed. He had tried to take her apart more than once. Ashlee took a deep breath, calming down. Her father stared at her in shock. He hadn't truly realized how far he'd gone until now. It almost made him feel guilty for what he had just recently done. His daughter returned her attention to the team, completely ignoring her father. "My father is, always has been, and always will be, a perfectionist. But since he could never get it right, not without me being there to study, it makes sense that the League of Shadows would steal it." she said. "Why? If he could never get it right, what's the point?" Wally asked, confused. Ashlee sighed. "Because, he always got the body and powers right. It was when he started trying to program it that it went , well, boom. Literally. He could never figure out how implement all the variables so that it would function properly and not, well, blow up. But with a genius such as Professoer Ivo, it'd be difficult, but not impossible. And since no one in the League has my DNA on file, it'd be the next best thing to having a clone of me. But without the morals." she said. She looked at her father, her blazing with anger.

"Congratulations, _DAD. _You just created a version of me that will do anything the Shadows ask. Including kill."

Hi guys!

I know I haven't left a note in a while, but I keep forgetting. Please review and tell me what you thought of the chapter! Please and thank you!

So, school starts for me on the 27th, and I'm in marching band. So I won't be able to update much until the season's over. Or who knows? Maybe I'll update more. Either way, I'll update when I can.

See you next time!

~Amy Ashuntae~


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys! Still alive! I'm soo sorry I took so long, there was marching band, then I had an F in one of my classes, so I was working my butt off trying to pull it up, and yea. Stuff. I wanted to do a Halloween chapter and upload it around Halloween, but that obviously didn't happen, so I'm just going to upload it now. I'm going to be doing some holiday chapters, but if they get uploaded late it's because I didn't get around to uploading them until that point in time. So, without further ado, my Halloween chapter!

Oh! And, of course, the disclaimer: I own nothing, except for me, myself, and I. And Black Lightning and Sonar.

Ashlee looked at her reflection in the full body mirror M'gann had in her room. As if this couldn't get any worse. First she and Artemis had been "kidnapped" outside Gotham Academy by M'gann and Zatanna(she didn't question how the magician had arrived so quickly; as far as she knew, her school let out about the same time as the other girls', but she was a magician.), completely unprepared and unawares, earlier that day after school had let out. Then they'd been dragged back to the Cave and forced to dress up in costumes. But it was October 31st, so she let it go. Just this once. If they ever tried anything like this again, she would hunt them down and murder them herself. It turned out that RT had taken her father and gone to the Watchtower so they could go out tonight. She did another twirl and couldn't help but be impressed. Whatever this costume was supposed to be, it actually looked good on her. Especially with the hair and makeup being the way it was. But no way was she ever going to tell her two friends that. She wore a long sleeved sea blue shirt, with a very short skirt of the same color and material. Thankfully, it had a pair of pants attached, so she wouldn't have to murder M'gann in her sleep. Then she did a double take. Sea blue? No way, it couldn't be-

And yet it was. The outfit she wore was the exact same color as Sonar's hero outfit. _Could it just be a coincidence? _She wondered, looking at her reflection again. She couldn't help but note that Sonar's color looked good on her and complimented her skin tone nicely. The she looked her reflection in the eyes again and shook her head firmly. _No. I don't believe in coincidences. _She thought. There was a knock on the door. "Yea?" She called, figuring that it was just M'gann or Zatanna again, just checking to make sure that she hadn't messed up their 'masterpiece' again. "It's me, are you decent?" Artemis' voice came from the other side of the door, causing her to blink in surprise. "Uh, yea. Sure. Come on in, Arty." she said. Her best friend came in and looked her over, eyebrows raised in surprise. "What? I can make things look good." She said, somewhat teasingly. Artemis shook her head. "No, it's not that..." She said, her voice trailing off. "Oh really? And here I thought-" Ashlee stopped abruptly when she saw the look on her friend's face. "Artemis? You okay? What's up?" she asked, genuinely concerned. "Nothing, it's just...did you know that Jason had that made specially for you?" Artemis inquired, taking her brunette friend by surprise. Out of all the things she had been expecting to hear out of her old friend's mouth, that had not been one of them. "Uh, no, but I do now. Why would he-"she started to say, but was cut off by M'gann entering the room. "Alright! Are you ready to go?" she asked, a bit too cheerfully. "Uh, yea, sure, I guess. But, M'gann, could you answer a quick question for me?" Ashlee asked, suddenly very confident. "Sure. What do you to know?" the martian replied, landing(She had flown into the room). "Where did you get this costume?" she asked, knowing the green-skinned girl wouldn't, let alone couldn't, lie to her. If she did, she started fidgeting and acting uncomfortable. That had played to her advantage numerous times. "I-I-I didn't buy it." she admitted, giving up on lying before she had even started. "Sooo then where did you get it?" Ashlee prompted. "I found it on my bed last month with a note that just said 'Make sure Ash wears this for Halloween. Burn this note and hide the costume until you have her put it on.'" she said. "But that had to have been Jason! But how-when-?" Artemis started to splutter. "Don't question it, Arty, you'll just give yourself a headache. Jason and I are good at what we do, that's why we get most of the undercover ops. We can be in and out of a place and you will never know that we were there unless we want you to. And Jason was obviously trying to get the costume to us for me to wear and he knew that he couldn't just give it to me; I would just get suspicious immediately. He knows me too well." she remarked. Raquel knocked on the door at that precise moment. "Hey, are you guys coming or what? The guys are getting impatient." she said. "Yea, we're coming." Ashlee replied. "C'mon, lets go before they tear the place down." she said, and led the way out of the room. They met up with the guys and Zatanna and left to go to the Halloween party at Happy Harbor High. "Recognized, Aqualad, B-02, Robin, B-01, Kid Flash, B-03, Superboy, B-05, Miss Martian, B-04, Artemis, B-06, Zatanna, B-07, Rocket, B-08, Black Lightning, B-09." the computerized voice said, announcing their departure. "So, Ashlee, should we be concerned about a possible security breach?" Wally asked. Ashlee blinked in surprise. "How did- nevermind. No, Wally, we shouldn't be. If I know Jason, which I do, then he probably just zetaed to the Cave, erased every record of it, then went back to wherever it was he came from after leaving the costume. Now can we please go to the party? I hate to admit it, but I need a night out. Between school, missions, maintaining my secret identity, watching my father, and trying not to destroy the Cave, I feel like I deserve a night off." she said irritably. After that, there was no more talk of the Cave, the League, or anything related to their lives in the masks. They were just a group of teenagers, out for night to forget everything that was happening to them.

Is this the end? NOPE! I've decided to shake things up a bit. I'm going to throw in a small tidbit about Sonar. So let me know what you guys think of it!

Jason watched as Ashlee and a group of kids, whom he assumed to be the team he'd heard about, file off of the zeta platform. He glanced at them before turning his attention to his partner and best friend. And, if he was honest with himself, he felt a bit more than friendship for her, but he'd never tell her that. He examined what she was wearing and was happy to see that she was wearing the costume he had left for M'gann to force her into(he knew that there wasn't any other way that she would wear it). It fit her perfectly, just like he knew it would, but he couldn't help but worry that it wouldn't fit her. She looked good in his color. He would have to stop by Happy Harbor High at some point and ask Artemis to take pictures, although he had a feeling that it would be unnecessary and she would anyway. He smiled and pulled the wrapped package he held closer to his chest, careful not to crush the flower resting on top of it. It wasn't over the top, but elegant enough for her. Once Ashlee and the Team were gone, he dropped down and landed in front of the zeta platform. They tried their best not to use the direct entrances to the Cave, and he did the same. It would be too obvious later on if someone saw him enter Mt. Justice any other way. He stepped onto the zeta platform.

"Recognized, Sonar, B-10" the computerized voice announced his arrival to an empty Cave. Sonar entered the Cave and glanced around. He would hopefully be joining her here soon. Very soon. But not until after Christmas. She would be mad about that. He made his way through Mt. Justice to the room that had an obvious golden lightning bolt on the door. Ashlee had her own room at the Cave, every member of the team did, but the only people Sonar knew she would actually let enter her room would be him and Artemis. He opened the door and entered her room, and was surprised at what he saw.

She'd wasted no time in making the room her own. The walls were a pale, restful golden that he knew would help her relax. The floor was black, but plushy so that his feet sank a little as he walked. She liked going barefoot most of the time, so this carpet was perfect for her. The covers of her bed were golden trimmed with black and a black lightning bolt embroidered in the center. He knew she had a warm fuzzy blanket that was the exact opposite. If the comforter was gold, then the sheets were black. He gave a slight shudder. Sometimes it was terrifying how well he knew her.. Her pillows were an arrangement of black and gold. She had some stuffed animals on her bed, each one she had gotten from him and Artemis. Pick any one of them, and he could tell you exactly what happened when she received it. She had an end table, on which sat a clock, alarm, radio, lamp for reading, and some books, which were stacked neatly. There was a bookcase against the same wall as her door. He could see the doors to her closet, but didn't even think about going in there. She would kill him for sure if she found out. He saw that she had a bathroom and a desk for schoolwork, on which sat a computer. All things that he would expect from her. He laid the golden wrapped package(which he had tied with black ribbon; he liked her colors, and he knew she did too. It was an inside joke between them) and laid the flower on top of it. Then he turned to leave. But as he did, he saw something that made him pause for a second. On her end table sat a picture that he hadn't been able to see before because of the books. It was still in the black, gold, and blue frame that he had made and given to her. It was a picture of them together, each of them in their respective hero getup, but masks off. His arm was slung carelessly across her shoulders, pulling her to him, and she was gently pushing against him, laughing. It was one of her most prized possessions, and she had multiple copies of the photo, but he knew that she prized this one above all the others. Partly because he gave it to her, but mainly because of the frame. He'd made it himself and she loved it. Grinning, he left the Cave, taking care to erase every trace that he had entered the Cave, minus his early present. He had another one in case he got to spend Christmas with her, or even see her after Christmas, but he had to make sure that she got at least one of them. Task complete, Sonar vanished into the shadows once again.

At around midnight, the entire Team had come stumbling back into the Cave. They mumbled good nights and went their separate ways. Once in her room, Ashlee didn't see the present until she was changed and trying to lay down to go to sleep. She blinked, surprised, but after recognizing the obvious care with which it had been wrapped, she set it on the ground, filled a vase with water, placing the daisy she had found on top of it inside and put it on her end table. She pushed the gift under her bed and quickly fell asleep, exhausted by the nights events. "Most fun I've had in a while..."she mumbled as sleep claimed her.

So what do you guys think? Again, sorry for the long wait, crap...happened. Please tell me what you guys think so far. I know that it's a bit of a time jump, but I couldn't think of anything to fill the gap. So if you want me to elaborate on anything, let me know! And please tell me what you think of me including the little tidbit from Sonar. See you next time!(Which will hopefully be sooner this time around!)


	9. Chapter 9-Thanksgiving

Hey guys, it's me, Amy Ashuntae. Obviously.  
I just wanted to apologize for how long it's been taking me to get this story updated. Stuff happened, school got crazy, grades went down, parents bugged me, and yea. Crap happened. I also wanted to add something; when I started this story, I based it off of my life and what was happening in it at the time. I started it my freshmen year and, unfortunately, I am now a sophomore. So after I upload the holiday chapters, I may or may not do a time jump so that it's caught up to my current life. Anyways, without further ado, I give you, the thanksgiving chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. Just Ashlee, Jason, Peter, Laura, and Tyson.

Ashlee gazed around her room in Mt. Justice, which was littered with boxes. Artemis and M'gann had convinced her to move into the mountain, saying that it would be better for security, but she knew that Artemis was just worried about her. She left the room and wandered towards the kitchen, looking at all the Thanksgiving decorations M'gann had put up. Since it was her and Connor's first Thanksgiving, M'gann had gone crazy. Again. She entered the kitchen and saw the Martian and Zatanna cooking. She smiled, fighting back a wave of nostalgia and tears. She usually spent Thanksgiving with Jason and her family. "Need some help?" She asked, causing M'gann and Zatanna to turn, happily agreeing.  
Some time later, Ashlee was closing the oven for the last time and turning it off, a pie on a hot pan held in her hand, an oven mitt shielding her hand from the searing heat coming from the metal with a victorious smile. "Recognized, Robin, B-01, Aqualad, B-02, Kid Flash, B-03, Artemis, B-06, Superboy, B-05, Red Tornado, 10." The computerized voice announced. Bubbling with happiness, M'gann flew to the zeta tubes to greet their friends. "Hi! You're just in time, dinner's ready!" She said, leading the way into the dining room, where Ashlee, Zatanna, and Raquel were finishing setting the table. Ashlee smiled at them and counted the plates, making sure they had enough for everyone, when she stopped in surprise. "Uh, Zatanna? I think we have three extra plates." She said, causing Zatanna to smile at her. "No, we don't." She said as Red Tornado brought up a holographic keyboard and typed something. "Recognized. Dr. Tyson Gilly, A-04, Peter Gilly, A-05, Mrs. Lara Gilly, A-06." The voice announced, causing Ashlee to stare in shock and horror as her family appeared. Numbly, she approached Peter ever so slowly. "Peter?" She whispered, unable to believe her eyes. Stunned, he offered her a weak smile. "Hey there sis. Long time no see." He whispered, unable to speak any louder. "Peter!" Ashlee cried, throwing her arms around her brother's neck. She glanced over his shoulder to see Lara. "Mom!" She cried, leaving her brother's arms to throw herself into her mother's. "My little baby girl." She whispered into her daughter's hair. Peter approached them and Lara held out an arm to him, causing him to join the hug. Lara squeezed her children tightly, reluctant to release them. Dr. Gilly stood off to the side semi-awkwardly, studying his daughter as she released her mother. "I-I-I had to. I had to go-" she started to say, but Lara cut her off. "I know, sweetie. I know." She smiled at her daughter understandingly. She embraced her again. "Come now, let's just enjoy this time of peace." She said as she led her daughter to the table. Ashlee took her seat, followed by her mother, and they ate. Ashlee and Peter spent most of the meal chatting animatedly with the team while Dr. and Mrs. Gilly argued quietly. Afterwards, Ashlee and her brother cleaned up and did the dishes, catching up. Then she introduced the team to her family and her parents went into the kitchen to "talk" ("More like argue at the top of their lungs." Ashlee remarked dryly) while the kids played games the rest of the night. When it was late, Ashlee went to get her parents and break up their fight, leaving Peter alone with the team. Peter turned to look at them. "Wow. She's really relaxed here. Good job. I didn't think she could be like this after everything that's happened to her." He remarked, catching the whole team by surprise. "What are you talking about?" M'gann asked. Peter frowned. "You mean you don't know?" He asked, puzzled. "Know what?" Robin asked, looking from Peter to M'gann and back again. "What's going on? Why is she like this?" He asked, voicing everyone's question as everyone on the team thought back to how guarded and closed off Ashlee had been when she first joined the team. "Our dad." Peter whispered. "What do you mean?" Wally asked. "Let me give you an example of how he treated her. He tricked her into going into his lab, locked the door, and electrocuted her. Repeatedly." he spat, his voice dripping with venom. "But would that not make her stronger?" Kaldur questioned. No one on the team had noticed when Ashlee herself entered the room, followed by her parents. "No. It wouldn't." Peter spat. "Why?" Zatanna asked. "Because too much lightning at once overwhelms me and turns lethal. He almost killed me." Ashlee answered for her brother, getting everyone's attention. The team stared at her in horror. Lara glared at her husband furiously as her daughter gave her teammates a dry, humorless chuckle. "That was when Sonar convinced me to run away, he was worried that Tyson might have actually end up aqccidentally killing me, but I felt horrible for leaving you and mom." she said, looking at her brother. "We understood. After you left we gave him the verbal lashing of a lifetime." he said, giving her a small smile. "That was after he stabbed me. You'd be horrified by the things he's done. And all in the name of finding out what I can do." she glared at the wall. Peter patted her on the shoulder. She looked up, smiled, and embraced him. "You should go." she said. She took them to the zeta platform and said goodbye to her mother and brother, not even looking at her father. "I'll be home for Christmas." Ashlee said, looking at Peter and Lara. "Promise?" Peter asked, watching Ashlee carefully. She smiled at him warmly. "Promise." she replied. She stepped away from them as they entered the zeta tube. "Recognized. Peter Gilly, A-05, Mrs. Lara Gilly, A-06." the computerized voice said. Ashlee turned to look at her father as he walked up to her. "I'm coming home for them, not you." she spat at him and turned walked away from her father. She waited to hear confirmation of his departure before relaxing. "Recognized. Dr. Tyson Gilly, A-04." the computerized voice announced, causing her to breathe a sigh of relief. She left and went to her room after helping clean up and didn't come out for the rest of the night.

So, like it? Hate it? Please give me some feedback to let me know how I'm doing! I'm currently in the middle of typing up the Christmas chapter and when I have enough reviews and I'm happy with it I'll post it. Til next time!

~Amy Ashuntae~


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